


Warning

by Illiteracy_is_for_woozles



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Alternate Universe - Dark, Creepy, Creepypasta, Cryptid Batfamily (DCU), Cryptids, Dark, Epistolary, Gen, Kinda, Legends, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Superheroes, Weird Gotham City
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:35:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22622635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Illiteracy_is_for_woozles/pseuds/Illiteracy_is_for_woozles
Summary: Pt. 1: Gotham has its share of cryptids.Pt. 2: The cryptids have a different story...
Relationships: Bat Family & Gotham City
Comments: 24
Kudos: 446
Collections: Gotham City Stories and Worldbuilding





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Cryptid Batman](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/557446) by ayellowbirds. 



> So, an awesome person on Tumblr wrote a post about "Cryptid Batman" and this just came to me.

Everyone knows that Gotham has the most crime per capita in the country, and probably the world. This is a known fact that draws the worst people to the city.

They come looking for an easy leg up in the world, a chance to become the next Maroni or Falcone without fear of the cops. But what they don’t know (or don’t care enough) is that Gotham also has its monsters.

Whenever a new thief or wanna-be crimelord comes to town, the survivors will buy them a drink and tell them the legends.

The stories about how they all met “The Bat” and lived to tell about it. The details change depending on who tells the story, but they all tell the same tale.

It all starts the same: Decades ago, small-time crooks began disappearing, either up and leaving in the middle of the night with terror in their eyes or being dropped on top of a police car in handcuffs, begging to be taken to jail.

Whenever someone managed to get an explanation from them, they would only ramble on about a figure in the night that could vanish and reappear in the blink of an eye. A creature that appeared human in shadow, but moved like a ghost and smiled with too many teeth in the light.

Some came back after meeting him the first time, trying to prove he was only a man in a mask. A dozen men would find something to bait him with and wait in the shadows for him to show.   
He always heard them coming. He would appear in the alley and just… stand there with his cape as still as stone, even in wind and rain.   
When someone finally did gather the courage to pull the trigger, the bullets would hit but he wouldn’t flinch. If you used a knife, you would blink and he’d be bent in such an unnatural way for the knife to pass right by.

All with that horrible grin on his face and a laugh like grating metal.

As the years wore on, this solo horror became a duo.

A small boy in red and green tights began to appear by his side; a seemingly normal boy with a cheery smile and a bright laugh who always had a joke to tell.   
He gained the name “Robin” when he appeared to fly through the air in his chase after the Bat’s enemies and those who were unlucky enough to get too close to him quickly smelled the reason why the front of his shirt was stained more rusty brown than red.   
It’s been over a decade now and the Robin is still here. He hasn’t aged and every time anyone has been lucky enough to hurt him, he’s back the next night with a grin and a quip on his lips and no sign that he was ever injured.   
The question on everyone’s mind is… Was he ever just a boy at all?

And they’re not alone. There are others that run with the Bat. A man in a red mask who never leaves a survivor, another in black tights with a strip of blue across his chest who flies like the Robin, and a woman like the Bat but with no mouth and eyes like the darkest pits to Hell. (Some even say the Bat dreamed her up. Or did she dream him?)

All of these will tear you apart if you try to harm an innocent.

Years have gone by to prove that.

The average citizens of Gotham have come to think of them as benevolent protectors; where we see monsters in the night, they see angels.

The women of Gotham swear that they’ve seen the Bat Girl bathing in the blood of the men that would cause them harm.

They say that They can smell whether or not you’re innocent and Gotham’s children say that if you’re especially good, if something happens to your parents and you sing a parody of  _ Jingle Bells  _ on a rooftop, that Batman will come and take you away to become a Robin.

Parents take comfort in the belief that if their children are killed, the Bat will come and take them in as another Robin, forever to fly without age or fear over the rooftops.

All of this is told to the newcomers, the naive and the foolish, to try and convince them of one thing.

Gotham belongs to the Bat.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning from Bruce's perspective.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It came to my attention through several comments that nobody read the original post that inspired this, so I made this second part to help you get the full brunt of the humor of the whole situation.  
> Enjoy!

Dick always said, “Being part of the Batfamily is a big responsibility. By wearing the suit, you make a promise to everyone in this city to protect and, if necessary, avenge them.”

He always explained to the new recruits how important their job was. The people of Gotham relied on them to keep the city safe, to keep the darkness at bay. No one else had the…  _ notoriety _ to do what they did.

After all, how many people had a whole mythology based on them?

When Bruce first started out as  _ The Bat _ , he had never expected much more than to catch a few bad guys and end up as Gotham’s Most Wanted. But things changed.

He had only meant to scare them, to make them rethink their lives.

But who could have guessed that he would become the city’s first modern cryptid?

He started by catching small-time crooks and scaring them a little; appearing behind a thief just as they turned around and not saying a word usually worked. And he really couldn’t help but smile at the look on their face.

Most of the time, he’d let them go after that, but there were plenty who shouldn’t have been left on the streets, so he dropped them off with the cops. He didn’t even rough them up all that much… usually.

And that was supposed to be it. Scare a few people a night and be done with it.

But the story began spreading: A creature of shadow that punished the wicked and brought justice to the city.

It was amusing, he had to admit, but it also added more  _ weight _ to what he was doing.

Soon, everyone was talking about it, about him. He even found notes taped to windows with names and photos of things people thought he should deal with.

All of them were addressed to  _ The Batman _ . It did have a nice ring to it.

After a few years, he took in a little boy from the circus. Like him, Dick Grayson was angry at the world and wanted to fix things.

When he snuck along on patrol one night in his brightly-colored trapeze tights, Bruce was upset for all of two seconds before Dick had dealt with the carjackers with surprising efficiency for a twelve-year-old.

They changed up his costume, adding some fake blood to the front and some along the corner of his mouth. (Bruce would never look at corn syrup, cocoa powder, and food coloring the same way again)

Over the years, their family grew. More boys meant more Robins for when one got injured and the girls certainly made people think twice about how they treated their dates.

It’s been years and the stories people tell have grown. Some see them as angels, others as demons intent on their very souls. Even Gotham’s upper class have begun telling stories and warning each other to treat their employees well.

Bruce really can’t help but smile when he hears those.

The people of Gotham trust and rely on them to keep them safe.

And the Batfamily will do whatever it takes to keep their promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comments and kudos are always appreciated.
> 
> My town is also in quarantine until further notice, so if you have a request for anything, you can throw it at my tumblr @squeaky-floorboards

**Author's Note:**

> I live for the attention of kudos and comments.


End file.
